A recent oddball car sighting was exciting for two reasons. The first was because it was a nearly mint 1980's Plymouth Reliant, a car that has all but disappeared from the streets. The ones that didn't suffer head gasket failure early on have long since been retired to the scrap yard or have completely rotted away. This red Reliant caught my attention on a recent trip to Montréal with a friend as we visited the Paris-like Square Victoria subway stop.

The second cause of excitement was that it was on this exact spot that this same friend I was travelling with had spotted and photographed another Plymouth Reliant two years ago! He recalled taking the pictures and sending them to me, and I checked back in my blog to confirm: two years prior, he HAD seen a blue Plymouth Reliant in almost the exact same spot!

It would seem an automotive fan with tastes similar to mine lives or works nearby! The red Reliant was an SE model and had a healthy dose of chrome trim to spruce it up. While no one would have have called a Reliant 'classy', this one was clearly a step up from the base models of the era. Back then, it didn't take much for a car to earn a 'Special Edition' badge, but the chrome touches did actually make it a little more attractive.

While these cars (and the nearly identical Dodge Aries) changed little over the years they were produced, from 1981 to 1989, the presence of a Chrysler 'Pentastar' hood ornament suggests that this is a 1983 model. It's hard to point out particular design features that stand out on these boxy little sedans, but the large slotted grille with egg-crate insert gives the little Reliant a rather grown-up look, not unlike a 1980's Mercedes.

One fun features of these cars was the hidden trunk lock. You simply rotated the rear Pentastar badge to access the key. It's fair to say that a car who's most exciting exterior element is the trunk lock, there isn't much going on to attract attention. Seeing one in excellent shape in 2017, however, makes it stand out to me. I even got a laugh out of a gentleman walking by my photo shoot with the Reliant. He didn't quite agree with my suggestion that it was a 'classic', but he DID have to admit that he hadn't seen one in ages!

I've enjoyed my visit in Montréal, a fantastic city with lots of history and culture. I now have another reason to get back soon: my first visit every time I come to Montréal will now be to Square Victoria to see if I can get déjà vu all over again! With luck the next time there will be another Plymouth occupying this spot and begging to be immortalized.